Wilting
by Curse And Hex
Summary: [Written: Hex] SasuSaku, Character death, romance, rated T for language and bloody scenes. Oneshot, Complete Blah, Blah, Blah.


**Okay, this is my first FanFic so don't kill me!!! I LOVE the SasuSaku pairing, but I wanted something kind of romantic/angsty. **

**I got this idea in my head a lllooonnnggg time ago, I just haven't had time to type it out before now.**

**WARNING : IF YOU GET SQUEAMISH WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT BLOOD YOU HAVE ****NO BUSINESS AT ALL**** READING THIS STORY!!! Like, at all!**

_**CHARACTER DEATH**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. ****(Well duh FANfic)!!!**

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**De' Prologue!**

It was during the fall when Team 7 were returning back from a mission outside of Konoha.

The group had been sent to retrieve a scroll from the village hidden in the mist.

Three mist shinobi were tracking them from the village in hopes of returning the scroll.

The Mist ninja attacked the other group and began to fight.

**Mostly In Sasuke's POV.**

_**Wilting Tears**_

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Sakura was the one carrying the scroll so one of them went straight for 'the weak kunoichi while the other two separated Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke from her. She slashed his hand with a kunai but he still twisted her elbow, knocked her down, and grabbed the object in her backpack.

He ran into the woods away from the fight and she followed him intent on stealing back the papers he had taken from her. "I'll be right back guys!" she yelled over her shoulder before she sprinted into the trees after him.

"Wait!" Naruto shouted. She was already gone. "Sakura, Sakura! Damn. She should of waited for us. She's no match for him by herself!" Kakashi muttered while he dodged a water clone and jabbed a knife in it's leg. It dissolved into a puddle.

Sasuke threw a shuriken at one of the real enemies. It embedded in his chest and he fell backwards, choking on his own blood. The other ninja cut open Naruto's leg. "I'm gonna kill him Sasuke! Believe it!" Naruto used Shadow Clone Jutsu and managed to land a punch and break his enemy's nose with a dull crunch. He stumbled backward and fell on top of the leaves.

Naruto tossed a couple of kunai and they went straight through the fallen ninja's neck. A gurgle came from his throat, and then he was dead before he fell over in a heap.

Blood was splattered all over the stirred ground from their wounds, not to mention the mess pooling around the two dead bodies.

"Ha, I killed the bastard!" Naruto pointed at Sasuke while he leaned over to catch his breath. "Told ya I would."

"Hn." Came the Uchiha's reply. "Aaaahhhhh!" Naruto screeched while he shook his fist at Sasuke. "Why do you always do that? Why can't you say something else for once?" Naruto stomped his foot and began his mad dance.

"Yo." Kakashi interrupted. "Shouldn't we be finding Sakura about now?"

Naruto stopped dancing, "Yeah, let's go"

He jumped towards the trees, stopping when he heard his sensei sigh. "What?"

"Naruto," Sasuke began, "she went the OTHER way." "Oh. I knew that." _Dobe_

**(scene change)**

They jumped through the trees, listening carefully for any sign of where she was in the woods. After about five minutes of silent tree hopping voices were heard on their left. Turning towards the sound and following it, Sasuke spotted a light ahead.

In the middle of a clearing Sakura was standing, surrounded, by 10 other mist ninja. "Damn." Kakashi muttered.

(A/N – Okay I just want to add the fact that Kakashi really seems to like the word Damn in this story. shrugs Don't know why…)

Suddenly, Sakura winced and glanced down at her leg. Naruto and Kakashi looked at her leg too. "Damn." Kakashi muttered again. (A/N - singsongy voice Damn Damn Damn!) Naruto began to turn purple with rage.

However Sasuke's eyes were locked on her face. She looked up at him and weakly smiled. "Sasuke," Naruto yelled. "Stop looking at her face and take a glace at her freakin' leg for once."

His eyes darted down to see dark red blood gushing from a long kunai slash in her shaking leg. It was dripping from just above her knee all the way down to her ankle. Basically, she was standing in a pool of her own blood spread over the ground.

Growling, he and Naruto pulled out kunai and nodded at their sensei.

"GO!" The three of them leapt down from the branch at the same time. "You're not going to be killing anybody tonight! Or ever again, cause I'm gonna fuckin' kill you for hurting Sakura-chan!" Naruto hissed. Sasuke turned away to face the Mist ninja with Dark black hair.

"Are you really so sure about that?" The ninja closest to Sakura lunged and turned her around so her back was facing him. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the mist shinobi raise a kunai. It flashed down.

Sakura screamed, and Sasuke flipped around the other ninja charging at him and killed him with a quick stab to the neck. Sakura screamed again, this time he was able to see what was going on behind him. The first thing he saw was two knives being driven into the pink haired kunoichi's right shoulder, all the way up to the hilt of the blade. A ninja stepped in front of him and smiled, "Prepare to die, Sasuke Uchiha."

The leader leaned down to whisper in Sakura's ear, she shook her head no. "Well boys, it looks like pinky here needs some more persuading. Now, who'd like to do the honors?" In response all of them threw a kunai, shuriken, or a couple of senbon.

Sasuke, who had dealt with the first opponent, was busy killing another enemy then and didn't notice until he heard a dull thud. He froze. _I know that sound! It's the sound of a shuriken hitting flesh! _A pained cry echoed through the air among the trees. Sasuke spun around just in time to see Naruto and Kakashi jump on the last two that hadn't died immediately when hit by the overly sharp knives.

The last one was holding Sakura threw her into the dust at his feet and smirked. "Well," he put a foot on her stomach with all his weight on it. "You're right where you belong dearie." He picked her up, using her short hair as a handhold. Sakura's eyes snapped open. A wicked smile played its way across her usually pleasant face. Sasuke and the other members of her team paused in shock. _What's up with her smile? It almost seems ………… evil. _

"Let's play a friendly little game I invented." Sakura's head was jerked back even farther. "It's called 'How Far Can Pretties Neck Bend Backwards Before It Snaps'. Sakura's mouth moved. _What's she saying to him? _

Looking around he realized Kakashi and Naruto were knocked out cold. _I must have gotten lucky this time._

"Oh no." he laughed. "That was me." Sakura's hand rose up towards the arm holding her in place. "Uh uh uh. Can't have you getting up now can we?" She was slowly lifted up to his eye level. "Ready? Up you go then." He tossed her a few feet up above his head, then caught her coming down by the elbow.

One by one he slowly pulled out each of the weapons embedded in her body and dropped them into a pile on the ground beside him. When all of them were out he counted them. "Hm, only 2 shuriken, 7 kunai, and 13 senbon? My team must have been getting soft. No matter. I'll deal with you now!"

His hand flashed towards her. He held the kunoichi up above his head and slowly shoved a windmill shuriken in her lower ribcage and stomach. She went limp. Shaking Sakura like a rat, he turned to face Sasuke. "See? This is what happens to weaklings!" Abruptly, Sasuke found him self facing one of the blades with Sakura's blood on it

_I'm frozen, can't …move, have to save … …Sakura._

"No…" a raspy voice said. "THIS is what happens to weaklings." Sakura kicked the man in the shin and ripped the shuriken out of her stomach even though it allowed more blood to spurt out of the gaping hole. The mist ninja snarled and brought out another weapon.

**Sakura flipped a knife out of her pocket into her other hand**

**The other ninja crouched down in the lake of her blood**

**Viciously she slashed downward with the shuriken**

**He lifted one foot**

**The shuriken was almost eight inches away from his head**

**His foot connected with her chest and pushed her back through the air**

**She was flying towards the trees**

**He was laughing**

**The shuriken left her hand, so did the knife.**

The Mist ninja was still laughing when his head was cut off and a kunai was stabbed into his bitter heart. Sakura fell against a tree and slid to the ground.

When his head rolled off Sasuke was free. He sped over to the fallen Sakura, who was lying on her side. Warm, scarlet blood was slipping out of her pale form and staining the autumn leaves around the tree. He bent over her, casting his shadow on her face. "Sakura? SAKURA?"

He picked her up very gently into his arms and leaned back against the tree trunk. As if she could feel his gaze upon her, her eyes fluttered open. A faint smile found its way to her bloody mouth. "Sasuke … kun?" _She's alive!!_ The shock caused him to sink down to the leaves, with her in his lap.

"Sas … uke-kun?" she moaned turning to face him. "What is it Sakura?" he asked. _Will she be alright? I hope so... _

"Please." She whisperedHer blood-stained hand shakily lifted to rest on his cheek.

"Sakura I ..."

"Don't cry when…" she half closed her jade eyes. "Cry when what Sakura?" he put one of his hands over the one on his cheek. "When …" She struggled to breathe. " Sakura? Sakura I have to get you to Tsunade…"

She began again, "When … I'm…. gone." "What? Sakura no! You're going to be fine! We just have to get you to a hospital. You'll be fine." _What's she talking about? I – she s going to be fine!_

"Sasuke … thank you," The words came out as a whisper. _No! Sakura…_ _Sakura_

Her hand fell from his face, down to the side of his right leg.

"Sakura. Sakura! No No NO!" Sakura's hand pushed down ever so slightly, on his leg. He leaned over her, inches from her serene face. "Sakura…" he whispered. "Sakura, come back to me. Please, please, please come back. Don't leave me!"

She struggled to keep her eyes open, and her breath was fading. She met his onyx gaze for the last time.

"I love you." Her last words came out barely more than a dim breath. "So much more than you'll ever know…"

He felt her heartbeat grow fainter, dying away.

She breathed out "Sasuke –kun…"

That's when he realized

_There would never be another person like her_

_Who understood him_

_Who loved him, like no one else did_

She exhaled another ragged gasp.

_Never to see her blush_

_Or laugh_

_Or_

_Smile_

_Ever Again_

His last chance…

Her eyes were slowly slipping closed as she sank into the place where there is no pain.

"Sakura," he began while he leaned closer. He laid a hand on her face and kissed her gently. _For the first and last time…_

"Sakura …I love you too." Sakura's lips curled into an affectionate smile and her finger trailed weakly for half a second on his arm before resting on her tattered stomach.

Then her heart stopped.

A lone cherry blossom petal floated down and landed on her bleeding hand.

A single tear fell beside it and rolled away.

_Sakura… I'll wait to find you again. _

_My Love_

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AAAAAAAAWWWWW!!! sob sob

So sad!!!

You have to admit though, it WAS romanceish?!? (and yes I know that's spelled wrong!)

Okay, now lower the mouse pointer.

And press the review button!!!

YAY!!


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